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All "I Love Lucy" episodes celebrate 50th Anniversary.
In this decade, every episode of "I Love Lucy" will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary.Every episode is still funny as funny as it was when they first aired.The shows are good. The shows are wholesome.They are healing and warm and will make you feel good.Buy them on VHS or DVD today.

Ethel May Potter- We Never Forgot 'Er!
This is a great video that showcases the genius of Lucille Ball in her first television series, "I Love Lucy (CBS, 1951-1957)! Wrapping candy, fake nose on fire, having a baby and more!
This second volume in the "Best of 'I Love Lucy'" collection begins with two of the show's classic comedy moments."Job Switching" (Episode #36, September 15, 1952), is the classic episode of "I Love Lucy" that I always show to my television classes so they know what a classic sit com looks like. Ricky is tired of the way Lucy spends money without regard for where it comes from, so the boys and girls switch places: Lucy and Ethel will get jobs and Ricky and Fred will do the household chores. One of the greatest moments in television history comes when Lucy and Ethel have to work a conveyor belt in a candy factory. Elvia Allman is the supervisor ("Let 'er roll!") and Amanda Milligan, an actual candy dipper at the Farmer's Market in Hollywood is, uh, the candy dipper. Meanwhile, Ricky is ironing stockings and making rice while Fred bakes a cake. "L.A. at Last" (Episode #114, February 7, 1955) finds Lucy and the Mertzes heading for the famous Brown Derby restaurant while Ricky heads to the movie studio to begin working on "Don Juan." Here is where Lucy has her legendary encounter with William Holden in the booth behind her. Tired of being gawked at while trying to eat, Holden decides to stare at Lucy instead, making her so nervous she end up setting her false nose on fire. To set the record straight: Lucy getting her nose on fire WAS in the script, but her decision to dunk her nose into the coffee was an AD-LIB (she was supposed to take the nose off before dunking it).Read more

Subjects:  1. Comedies    2. Comedy    3. Movie    4. TV Shows    5. Television   

Editorial Review

There is only one word that comes close to accurately describing the enchanting Read more

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Reviews (244)

Could well be the best DVD on the market
Given that the movie is wonderful, perhaps the last of the great Hollywood musicals and a charmer for all generations, this DVD is still remarkably wonderful. Disney has done a clean-up job on the film that makes it shine. The audio is rich and wonderful, including the all-important ORIGINAL stereo soundtrack (feh to multi-channel remixes!). The special features even manage to elucidate the process of filmmaking in manner intriguing to both the cineaste parent and Mary-mad children.
thank you, Julie and Dick (and Walt, of course)!
I think I like this movie more now than when I was a kid! And the extra features on this 2-DVD set are absolutely wonderful. Great interviews with Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, one of the Sherman brothers (songwriter), and the girl who played Jane that really show how special the movie-making process was, which then translated to joy on the screen.
Delightful story and lovely music
Mary Poppins must be one of the loveliest filming produced by Disney studios. This musical movie is extremely well produced and has outstanding actor work. The scenes are of high quality despite the whole story was filmed indoors. Even the little part of London was reproduced in Disney studio. The music from Sherman brothers is world famous and well known. When you hear the first tunes, you might say: Hey I've heard that somewhere! Having this DVD on your shelf would please both you and your younger fellows. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children    2. Family    3. Feature Film Family    4. Movie    5. Musicals & Cast Recordings   

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Reviews (20)

"You're not Myrna Loy!"
I LOVE this movie. What I want to know is, do people still buy VHS tapes?? Why in the world this film is not on DVD is beyond me. My favorite part is the promotional short Daisy did for Swan studios where she dances and sings in outer space; beautiful cinematography here. That black and white sequence gets to me every time I see it and is in stark contrast to the brilliant color footage in the rest of the film. The musical score is haunting and subtle but the Daisy numbers are all up-beat and Hollywood glam at it's best. Any Natalie Wood fan should see this film. Christopher Plummer is outstanding and gives one of the best performances of his career, IMO. Though I highly recommend this movie to anyone who loves show-biz "rise-to-stardom" stories, I suggest you wait for the DVD to come out. I have stopped buying tapes; they're antique technology and simply do not last. We can only hope Amazon passes along the word that there is a buying public chomping at the bit to buy the DVD of Inside Daisy Clover.

so bad it's good
Despite being uneven and overdramatic in some spots, thismovie is absolutely intriguing.The first fifteen minutes are basically pointless, but the rest is fabulous.The characters are so complex that at the end you're still wondering who was the bad guy and who was the good guy.Natalie Wood as Daisy Clover managaes to look beautiful even though she looks like a frumpy teenager.Roddy McDowall is the producer's snippy assistant.Katherine Bard plays Mrs. Swan, who tells Daisy "your husband never could resist a charming boy."Robert Redford looks extremely handsome as bisexual actor Wade Lewis (my favorite scene is when he talks to Daisy in the beautiful white bedroom).But the piece de resistance is Christopher Plummer as the ambiguous studio producer Raymond Swan.That guy is truly an amazing actor.The scenes he has with Daisy are my favorite (the swimming pool and beach house).The memorable script, the main actors, and the gorgeous, glamorous 1930s Hollywood setting make this movie worth seeing.

Quirky, But Charming
I watched this last night. Stayed up waayyy too late. What a movie. Natalie Wood is amazing. Flopping around on the boardwalk . . . an awkward, strong and oddly attractive waif-like character, barefoot, in dirty clothes with crazy hair, that at one point she cuts, instead of combing. Ruth Gordon is lovely. Robert Redford is convincing. And you always wonder what the heck is going on in Christopher Plummer's mind. Creepy. Generally, things end up on a sad note, this ain't Singing In The Rain, and I did get sick of hearing the song, Wood's character kept singing over and over, and not very well, about how she's gonna be a big star. But everything else is wonderful. A great movie. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Feature Film-drama    3. Movie   

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Reviews (36)

An Exceptional Film Adaptation of the Classic Novel
This 1945 film adaptation of Oscar Wilde's classic novella is more that likely the best adaptation one will ever see. This may seem to be a big statement, but Albert Lewin's direction along with Harry Stradling Sr.'s Oscar winning Cinematography for 1946, appears almost flawless when comparing the classic novel with the film.
"5" for the movie, "1" for no DVD
This is one the best films of all time.
The Lost Meaning of Evil and Terror.
With the exception of the fact that Sybil Vane is reduced from a stage actress to a club singer, this movie actually holds to the book quite well. In an age where horror movies revolve around the absurd overuse of blood and effects, and evil is portrayed as someone who just carries the label and dresses in black, this movie carries the true meaning of evil and terror. (Notably lost in modern times!) As in the book, we meet Lord Henry (played most convincingly by George Sanders). While he does have some redeeming points, he basically represents the devil. He is more of an observer, and he considers the common behavior of people beneath him. And as comically vicious as he gets, like the devil he never really tells outright falsehoods. One perfect example is when he expresses that women represent morality over mind and men represent mind over morals. Well, we then meet the young Dorian who is having his portrait painted. Lord Henry plays the devil and tells Dorian youth is only temporary and even if unintentionally tempts and leads Dorian into making a pact with evil. (He'll remain young while the picture ages.) Dorian then falls in love with Sybil Vane. And they plan to marry. But Lord Henry again plays the devil and gives Dorian advice that SOUNDS good, but will lead to Sybil's death when carried through. (Like the devil, Lord Henry can tempt, but NOT FORCE Dorian to do anything!) After Sybil's death, Lord Henry shows a redeeming moment when he is concerned over Dorian. But the harm is done. Dorian is now on his way to degeneration. It is not the pact itself that leads to Dorian's degeneration, but his vanity that leads him to a cold indifference to the needs of others. (While this behavior was comical in Lord Henry, it appears quite disturbing in Dorian.) Without blood or effects, this movie is really scarey as we gradually see Dorian degenerate into evil. Despite what action movies tell us, the true meaning of evil is when we become a prisoner of our own vanity and we desire to satisfy ourselves no matter what the cost to others. Dorian makes this clear when he says: "I enjoy scandals about others, but scandals about me do not interest me. I find them boring." In a moment of disturbing terror, Dorian murders the uncle of the Gladys (whom he now loves). And in his arguably most evil moment, he becomes the tempter. While he asks for Alan Campbell's help in disposing of the body, he tempts but again doesn't force. (And this will lead to Campbell's suicide. The tempted has become the tempter!) But Sybil's brother is still out there and he wants revenge for the death of his sister. We heard of Adrian Singleton earlier when Basil expressed his fear over the degeneration of Dorian's friends, and we see him as a disturbing eccentric who interestingly carries reason. Jim's death is creepily ambiguous. Did Dorian set up the hunting party in hopes that Jim would walk into a bullet, or did Jim's desire for revenge lead to his downfall? We don't know, but we DO know that for this evil to have fallen on Jim, Jim had to consent at least in part to it when he persued the evils of revenge. (Something the utterly stupid 'Time to Kill' couldn't figure out.) Moving on, Dorian has defeated all his enemies, but he just can't live with himself anymore. (An ending above and beyond action movies that have a hero kill his enemies, fall in love, and live happily ever after!) Well, Dorian breaks his pact with evil and pays a HIGH price. Not only is this movie a phenomenal remake of the book itself, but it also reminds us of the REAL meaning of evil and terror. And as a bonus, it shows the shortcomings of modern movies that just don't get it. If you liked the book, you'll love the movie! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Movie    3. Mystery / Suspense   

Editorial Review

Success in that newfangled television business prompted Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz to bring their slapstick chemistry to the big screen, courtesy of a 28-foot monster of a trailer home. Read more

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Reviews (78)

10 Stars if I could!
Love it!!
Great News!
While Paramount Home Video has successfully marketed DVD packages of I Love Lucy, Warner Bros. Home Video is now getting into the act with a package that includes the only two feature films Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz starred in together, The Long, Long Trailer in 1954 and Forever, Darling, in 1955. A third movie, Too Many Girls, produced in 1940, stars Ball in the leading role and Arnaz in a bit part. The two reportedly met on the set of the film, fell in love, and married a few weeks afterwards

PLEASE put this hilarious classic on DVD!!
What a fantastic pairing of the classic Luci & Desi comedy team, even while "I Love Lucy" was still airing before live audiences. An initial fun point was the change of 'Lucy & Ricky' to 'Taci & Nicky'. Both my parents and I saw this aired on TV, and laughed so hard we were repeatedly wiping our tears as Taci fell out the tilted trailer into the mud, was tossed with the salad while Nicky serenely drove the pitching trailer, & "hold-your-breath" CLIFF-hanging suspense as the trailer was just inches from the precarious edge!
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Subjects:  1. Comedies    2. Feature Film-comedy    3. Movie    4. TV Shows   

Editorial Review

Remember darlings, "Life's a banquet, and most suckers are starving to death." That tag line sums up this exuberant and immensely amusing 1958 comedy that can be seen repeatedly, as it never grows stale. Rosalind Russell plays the flamboyant aunt who takes in poor, orphaned Patrick, played with sophisticated ease by Jan Handzlik. Mame, all glitter and martinis, raises her nephew in a world filled with acceptance and her oddball literati friends. Nothing is too bohemian. This unfolds in colorful episodic segments that allow us to watch Patrick grow as Mame oversees his unusual upbringing while she juggles a few spouses and an extended household. Russell, who created the title role for the stage, simply shines. She is bright and brassy, but never goes too far over the top. Peggy Cass is a comedic delight as her befuddled secretary, and Coral Browne brings class to the production as her best friend. This was based on the exuberant stage play, which in turn was based on Patrick Dennis's humorous, bittersweet novel. The screen version was written by the clever duo of Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Not to be confused with the pathetically lackluster musical version starring Lucille Ball (1974), simply entitled Read more

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Reviews (136)

The Only Mame for Me
I remember watching this movie as a child falling in love with Rosalind Russell from the very first time, in her role as Mame. Who doesn't want a slightly whacky, eccentric aunt? I love this version of Mame, and it's the only one I own. However, my mother prefers the Lucille Ball version, and when we decided to watch Mame together, she wants her way, and I want mine. Rosalind Russell is the only Mame as far as I am concerned, and she plays the role well. It was made for her, and for her it will always be. This is one of my favorite lines from the movie!
Autie is fantastic
This is the Best Version of Autie Mame....You will fall in love with this wonderful character....you portays...a woman that is not married and finds true love later in life..only to have it taken away from her..but, always loves and shows love to her nephew Patrick...and her dear devoted friend and house staff..this is one movie you will not want to miss...I always want to cry when I watch this....and it's my favorite movie..along with the Bishop's Wife....

Classy classic
They just don't make 'em like they used to and the movie audiences are the losers for it. Rosalind Russell et al turned out a stellar production which has proven its delight through the decades. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Comedies    2. Feature Film-comedy    3. Movie   

Editorial Review

Gary Cooper plays Alvin York, the real-life country lad and sharpshooter drafted to fight during World War I but blocked from killing by his pacifist sentiments. Howard Hawks makes a rousing, heroic film out of the tale, and Cooper gives one of his best performances (for which he won an Oscar). The 1941 feature seems as much a valentine to wartime America (and a not-so-subtle piece of propaganda) as anything, with Hawks capturing splendidly shot scenes of life in York's home state of Tennessee, which in turn provide a striking contrast to the battlefield. A key scene in the film, in which York is presented with an argument in favor of killing in war, is still thought provoking. Read more

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Reviews (68)

This movie has a lot of heart
This is one of those movies that never gets old.
WHEN OSCAR MET COOPER....A TIMELESS TRIUMPH!
For those who wonder why it took so long for SERGEANT YORK to make his journey to DVD, all you have to be familiar with is how AWFUL this movie looked when TCM ran it on TV. Like so many older Warner pictures, it needed to be restored, and over and over again, the grand old studio founded by the brothers Warner is restoring is glittering gems for DVD to look and sound terrific.
Took them long enough!!!
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Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Movie   

Editorial Review

Writer-director Robert Rossen and character actors Broderick Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge (in her film debut) took home Oscars (for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actress, respectively) for this excellent adaptation of Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Crawford stars as Willie Stark, a charismatic populist Southern politician (inspired by the real Louisiana Governor Huey Long) who belies his "man of the people" roots as he ruthlessly maneuvers, lies, and deals his way into the halls of power. John Ireland is his right-hand man, Jack Burden, a newsman turned political flack who hangs on to Stark's early idealism even in the face of Stark's most reprehensible acts of corruption. McCambridge is Stark's cool mistress come calculating assistant. The immediacy of the drama is due in part to a documentary-like style, notably in the scenes on the campaign trail where Stark sways crowds with his folksy rhetoric and estimable charm. Joanne Dru and John Derek also costar. Rossen's savage screenplay and firm direction give the film a powerful punch, but it's Crawford's blustery charm and oversized performance that carry the picture. Read more

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Reviews (23)

This Is How To Make An Unbiased Political Movie
You know what I really appreciated about this political story? The filmmakers went overboard NOT to paint the main character as either a Republican or Democrat, Conservative or Liberal. It winds up, then, being more a human-interest story. In other words, there was no political agenda....unlike most films, especially in the last 50 years.
Famous political novel-turned-film
Time has been less kind to Robert Rossen's legendary adaptation of Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel based on the rise of Huey Long than you might imagine. This film won a passel of Academy Awards in 1949 (including Best Picture) , and it has superb production values and very unusual experimental dialogue (the characters often repeat the same sentence many times for different effect), but the plot is at times confusing, given that many subplots are largely dropped but glancingly alluded to from the original novel. It's often hard to figure out why certain characters, particularly the women, undergo sudden reversals, and you feel constantly as if there were other crucial stories you're not being told. The acting is highly variable, with some very unmemorable performances in underwritten roles but also with some excellent work from Broderick Crawford as the megalomanical central character Willie Stark and Mercedes McCambridge as the hardbitten Sadie (both of whom won Oscars), and from Anne Seymour as Willie's idealistic wife who learns to compromise her values as Willie's star rises. The DVD used right now is fairly unsatisfactory, since the original screen ratio of the film has been significantly altered.

Inside the Mind of the Crooked Politician
This is an unusual movie, where the hero is also the villain. I wish modern people would see this movie just to understand the difference between the public perception of a powerful politician and the way he behaves in private. Politics is a dirty game that muddies anyone who plays to win. It is a movie about how power corrupts everyone touched even indirectly by that power.
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Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Feature Film-drama    3. Movie   

Editorial Review

James Hilton's novel

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Reviews (75)

The Valley of the Blue Moon
James Hilton's novel was fashioned by a young Frank Capra in the 1930's into this flawed but must-see film classic. Robert Riskin's screenplay is too preachy at times, with less emphasis on the romance than there should have been, but an exciting finish and terrific individual moments make this a great film anyway.
FDR's Secret Base revealed in this Classic film
The impact of this work over the years has been considerable. James Hilton wrote the novel as an anti-war ideal. Hilton was an intelligent man and saw what was coming for the world in the 30's and tried to create an imaginary place of ease, cultural pursuits and knowledge free from the toil and terrors of the world, especially death itself. It became a great novel in the history of fiction. The book became really big after pocket books produced the FIRST paperback and made this work the object of that new development. Then Capra made the monumental movie that we have all come to appreciate, once again, prophetic about the coming war and suggestive of continuance after humanity is done tearing each other apart. Yet, it was NOT finished, the spirit continued into World War II,after the first daring bombing of Tokyo, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt told the press that the source of the bombers came "from our secret base in Shangri-La Gentlemen!". With this in mind, Father Perot continues to deliver the message of "Be kind" to this day and Shangri-La is carried into every human mind that understands the basic philosophy behind this picture. Of course, since it was made in the 30's, it is somewhat dated now in characterizations, which remind you of Flash Gordon serials done at a slightly slower pace. Coleman reminds us of the cynical attitude we take as we roll with the punches that life throws upon us. When you get to this point, usually somewhere in your 40's, you are ready to throw in everything for just a chance at Shangri-La. Escape from the toils of the world into a physical ideal place is of course, a set in the imagination of writers, even Evelyn Waugh's Charles Ryder in 'Brideshead Revisited" (1945) sought "that low door in the wall that opened to an enchanted garden, where others I knew had gone before me, not overlooked by any window in that gray city". Our nature is like a restless Henry David Thoreau in "Walden" or a wandering Walt Whitman in "Leaves of Grass", always seeking that magic place where we will finally be able to sleep without worry. THIS is Shangri-La. It is part of the American Spirit and that is why this movie is such an important picture despite it's faults. Capra spent a lot on this production. Young people need to see it and understand that famous quote "those who do not learn from History are doomed to repeat it". Once again, forms of Fascism are on the Horizon. The "Lost" Horizon may be our own if we fail to communicate this to future generations. Let us hope that we can build Shangi-La in reality someday as more than just an ideal in our imagination.

Mr Chang and his Shangri-La.
When I heard this film LOST HORIZON (1937), was being painstakingly restored and with much more footage found in the vaults, after seeing some of the footage, I thought I had to see it some day.They say every film student and movie buff should see it.
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Editorial Review

Scott O'Dell won the Newbery Medal for Read more

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Really Bad
I have got to say that is is one of the worst books I have ever read. I picked it to read off a summer reading list when i was 10 just because i liked the title. All it is, is a girl tries to save her brother when everyone is leaving their island, and they get left behiend. Spoiler ahead.
Island of the Blue Dolphins/Movie
I've always loved this movie; I guess the main reason is, I'm a big lover of dogs and when I first viewed Island of the Blue Dolphins, it was the dog (in it)which grabbed my interest. Maybe he reminded me of Walt Disney's Old Yeller; guitly as charged. Loved that mutt, too. At any rate..
Journey through the Island of the Blue Dolphins
This book offers an insight to the world of an Indian girl left to fend for herself on a deserted Island off the coast of California. She learns how to survive by going against her cultural traditions such as making weapons. She also had to learn survival techniques to be able to eat and take shelter. This was an interesting book and I would recommend it to students and teacher. ... Read more

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Editorial Review

No film better utilizes Audrey Hepburn's flighty charm and svelte beauty than this romantic adaptation of Truman Capote's novella. Hepburn's urban sophisticate Holly Golightly, an enchanting neurotic living off the gifts of gentlemen, is a bewitching figure in designer dresses and costume jewelry. George Peppard is her upstairs neighbor, a struggling writer and "kept" man financed by a steely older woman (Patricia Neal). His growing friendship with the lonely Holly soon turns to love and threatens the delicate balance of both of their compromised lives. Taking liberties with Capote's bittersweet story, director Blake Edwards and screenwriter George Axelrod turn New York into a city of lovers and create a poignant portrait of Holly, a frustrated romantic with a secret past and a hidden vulnerability. Composer Henry Mancini earned Oscars for the hit song "Moon River" and his tastefully romantic score. The only sour note in the whole film is Mickey Rooney's demeaning performance as the apartment's Japanese manager, an offensively overdone stereotype even in 1961. The rest of the film has weathered the decades well. Edwards's elegant yet light touch, Axelrod's generous screenplay, and Hepburn's mix of knowing experience and naiveté combine to create one of the great screen romances and a refined slice of high society bohemian chic. Read more

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Reviews (223)

As Charming as A Classic Can get!
Breakfast at Tiffany's... If you haven't seen it, then you must have heard of it in some way. You have heard the title somewhere, you read about it at someplace or maybe you have heard the famous musical theme by Henry Mancini? Yes, it's hard not to have heard of this classic masterpiece in some sort of way.
delicious
Blake Edward's masterpiece isbright, funny, intelligent, and thoroughly winning, thanks to his deft direction and the singular presence of its stars.Stunningly gowned by Givenchy, Audrey Hepburn makes the part of Holly Golightly completely her own, and is so captivating, one couldn't care less how greatly the film differs from Truman Capote's much darker novella.George Peppard is her praiseworthy partner in his most memorable role.To better complement his spirited co-star, he plays Paul Varjak quietly, radiating a natural humor, pride, warmth, and grace.With astonishing blue eyes, perfect hair, cardigans, tweed jackets, and penny loafers, Paul is achingly handsome and infinitely desirable.
An amazingly beautiful, sad film
The sight of Audrey Hepburn, dressed immaculately in a black dress, wearing large black goggles, holding a danish pastry in one of her hands and a coffee in the other, looking wishfully, enchantedly into the window of Tiffany, joins forces with the extremely beautiful yet melancholy background score by Henri Mancini to set the tone of the movie. Quirky, witty, modern, fashionable, yet flowing over an undercurrent of unexplainable sadness.
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Subjects:  1. Comedies    2. Comedy    3. Feature Film-comedy    4. Movie   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (60)

Great Video
My 18 mth old son loves it. He laughs like its the funniest thing he's ever saw. (of course I'm the funniest thing)(from the DAD)

A hit at our house
We ordered this video since my 12 month old son is fascinated by dogs and other babies.The best part is when they show the Sesame Street characters when they were babies.

Entertaining, but not very educational
I was hoping for a video that would teach my toddler how to treat my baby and dog.This video, while it's cute, didn't do that.It basically shows different types of babies and dogs. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children    2. Children's Video    3. Childrens    4. Family    5. Movie   

Editorial Review

Following the success of Read more

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Reviews (58)

A movie for this day, too
This is one of the greatest anti-war movies to come out of Hollywood, but it is great not only for that.It is blessed by brilliant acting, tight directing, outstanding production design, cinematography and score, all of which got it nominated for eight Academy Awards.In almost any other year The Sand Pebbles would have won several of those, but 1966 was a high water mark for Hollywood, and this gripping epic came away with none.Google 1966 for the Academy Awards and you will see why.
mcqueen and wise team up to tell the story of jake holman and the uss san pablo in 1926 china
two time oscsr winner robert wise directs steve mcqueen in his greatest role as jake holman a sailor aboard the uss san pablo in "the sand pebbles".
This Dramatic film has it all.
A wide array of brilliant actors are like gems around the crowning performance of Steve McQueen.But the key hero in this story is a man who is at once tragic as well as heroic.To me, the film's theme is man's fight against our lesser urges; racism, greed, rabid nationalism, you name it.The battle is joined again and again.But unlike many Hollywood films, there is no certainty that right will prevail over might.And sometimes, in trying to do the right thing, characters are faced with tragic mistakes, or face terrible consequences.
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Subjects:  1. Action    2. Action / Adventure    3. Adventure    4. Drama    5. Feature Film-action/Adventure    6. Movie   

Editorial Review

An examination of the relationship between political power and personal conscience, Joseph Mankiewicz's traditional Read more

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Reviews (26)

NOT ONE SINGLE COMPLAINT!!!
Along with "Hamlet," "Macbeth," and "King Lear," "Julius Caesar" remains one of my favorite tragedies of William Shakespeare. (With "Coriolanus" not so far behind.) This play of Shakespeare's and (this move for that matter) was what got me into Shakespeare in the first place, and later an English Major in college. Like I said, this is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays, and this movie in no way whatsoever falls short of the book. It was truly a blessing to get James Mason (Brutus), John Gielgud (Cassius) and Marlon Brando (Mark Antony) together. This movie (with virtually no special effects) shows that it takes good directing, good actors, and a good script to make things work. Some of you probably know that this was the first play of Shakespeare's to be performed at the Globe Theatre. Moving on to the material at hand, this play repesents moral ambiguity in a political setting. We meet Cassius and Brutus. Cassius is not happy with the fact that the ambitious Julius Caesar is to be crowned, and the flawed, but still virtuous Brutus reluctantly agrees to take part in the conspiracy to assasinate Caesar. Like in the play, we meet Mark Antony (Brando) and he seems insignificant. But he will later prove very significant. We only meet Calpurnia (Caesar's wife) and Portia (Brutus's wife) briefly. But they do make the most of their one scene. For that matter, even the Soothsayer who only has a minor part does well. (Perhaps good acting often means making the best of even a small part.) As most of you know, around the halfway point Julius Caesar meets his fate, and Louis Calhern portrays the famous line: "Et Tu Brute? Then fall Caesar" well. Marlon Brando is nothing short of phenomenal when he appears to make peace with the conspirators and then reveals his real feelings in the famous" "Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war" passage. The naive (but still likable) Brutus delivers his convincing funeral passage well. Unfortunately for him, Mark Antony's counterspeech is nothing short of hypnotic. (One of the best things about this play is that rather than good guys and bad guys, we have 3 major characters with 2 opposing views, and we can be lead into sympathy and understanding with either of them.) Despite the limited resources of the time, Louis Calhern's ghost of Caesar is frightening and effective. This leads to the final confrontation between Brutus and Cassius versus Octavius and Mark Antony. (For the record, at this point in time, Brutus and Cassius DID hold the advantage.) The battle where Antony crushes Cassius is so well done in that (1) it shows Antony's stategy, (2) it is well done without excess blood or special effects, and (3) it DOES NOT glorify war. It DOES in fact show war as the ugly and repulsive thing it is. Despite Cassius's faults (possibly through the good acting of John Gielgud), we are moved into sympathy for him when he meets his fate. (For the record, Mike Ansara, the servant of Cassius who is with him to the end would play a sympathetic Klingon Captain in "Star Trek's" 'Day of the Dove' and would be the voice of Mr. Freeze in the animated Batman series.) And James Mason continues his phenomenal performance of Brutus right up to the end. As in the play, the crowning touch is the respectful eulogy Mark Antony gives to Brutus, and Marlon Brando more than delivers. While I fear that some movies like a recent and really garrish "Hamlet" would have had Shakespeare crying in his grave, this production of "Julius Caesar" would do William Shakespeare proud.

Sic Semper Tyrannus
James Mason, John Gielgud and Edmond O'Brien carry the day here in this largely marvelous film adaptation of Julius Caesar; to my mind, Shakespeare's greatest play.All three put their vast stage experience to work, and in particular Gieulgud's reading of Casca's complaints about Caesar's ascension is hypnotically powerful.All three are far more eloquent than Marlon Brando, who looks a little uncomfortable as Marc Antony and doesn't quite capture the two-sidedness of the fighting voluptuary who sees no reason he shouldn't step into Caesar's shoes.Louis Calhern is miscast as JC but gave rise to one of Hollywood's great anecdotes.Calhern volunteered to lie-in as Caesar's corpse during Antony's funeral oration and said after one take, "Can we do that again?I wasn't very good."Hollywood's byzantine union rules for stage extras hampered the filming of the battle scenes so thoroughly that this was the last time such a scene was ever shot in California.

I call him "The Beard" (see below)
Next time I review Midsummer Night's Dream remind me to instead rant a bit about people who call it Midsummer's Night Dream and completely ignore any other intelligent comment on that great play. Bard, shmard, who gives a rat's patoot? That whiny review wouldn't cut in in "scholarly circles" whatever the hell those are in this age. We're lucky anyone refers to him at all, even as "Billy."
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Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Feature Film-drama    3. Movie   

Editorial Review

The short life and passionate music of romantic composer Frédéric Chopin provide the foundations for this 1945 drama, which proved influential in its gaudy, undeniably watchable formula of historical exaggeration and shrewdly simplified motives for its principals.In an Oscar-nominated performance, Cornel Wilde presents the Polish native as a passionate nationalist driven by his love of his native country and his hatred of its czarist regime, a thematic focus that can be forgiven in light of the political backdrop at the time of the production.Already a prodigy in his native land, where he's mentored by a shamelessly scenery-chewing Paul Muni as Professor Elsner, Chopin flees to Paris where his flashing eyes, dark nimbus of curls, and florid technique earn him stardom, while his involvement with the writer George Sand (a beautiful Merle Oberon, even when draped in then-provocatively masculine garb) introduces a romantic crescendo.Still, the tortured pianist-composer pines for his homeland, frets about its political fate, and begins to wither under the rigors of his new career as ur-superstar; in a typically over-the-top but riveting image, we see drops of blood spatter across the keyboard as he thunders through a recital, gallantly ignoring his failing health to spread his music and, by extension, awareness of Poland's fate.Numerous subsequent musical dramas (including two more